Draft-rigging.



No. 703,956. Patented July I, I902.

J. E. GUINN.

DRAFT RIGGING.

(Application filed Oct. 21, 1901.: (No Model.) 2 Sheets8haet l.

No. 703,956. Patented July I, 1902.,

.1. E. eumn.

DRAFT RIGGING.

(Application filed Oct. 21. 1901.|

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

IIIIIIIW m llhmmnllln HI R\\\\L ull 0 WW 1 xgw N JamwE 6715 2 awe/MW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES'E. GUINN, OF THAYER, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY A. CLARK, OF THAYER, MISSOURI.

DRAFT-RIGGING.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,956, dated July 1, 1902.

Application filed October 21,1901. fi li l No- 79,452. (No model.)

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that 1, JAMES E. GUINN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Thayer, in the county of Oregon and State of Missouri, have invented anew and useful Draft-Rigging, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto draft-rigging for railway-cars, and has for its object to provide an improved arrangement of the drafttimbers, so that all strain will be applied directly to the adjacent truck and in rear of the body-bolster instead of in front of the latter, as heretofore.

It is furthermore designed to combine the draft-rigging with the body-bolster, so that the king-bolt may form the connection with the bolster, the draft-rigging, and the cartruck and also to provide a strong and durable connection between the rigging and the body-bolster, so as to obviate looseness of the rigging and to prevent the latter from falling upon the trackshould the connections between the draft-timbers and the frame of the car become broken.

Another object is to provide a strong and durable intermediate connection between the draft-timbers and to have this connection arranged to separate the front and rear draftsprings, so as to maintain these springs separated at a proper interval, while permitting the required movement thereof in taking up strain upon the draw-bar.

A final object is to have the draft-rigging arranged so as to be conveniently applied to any ordinary car and also arranged so that the individual parts thereof may be accessible for repairs and replacement should they become worn or.damaged.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changesin the form, proportion, size, and minor'details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit'or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of adraft-rigging constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view. thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view showing the relation of the present form of draft-rigging with respectto the center beamof a carvtruck. Fig. 4: is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a pair of substantially parallel draft-timbers 1 of'the ordinary type, with the exception that they are considerably longer than the standard size of draft-timbers. At the middle of the space between the drafttimbers there is provided 'a wooden fillingblock 2, which snugly fits between the drafttimbers, and the inner faces of the latter and the respective contiguous faces of the fillingblock are providedwith corresponding vertical notches 3, in which are snugly driven metallic'keys 4, so'as to securelylock the filling-block in place and prevent endwise movement thereof. These keys are arranged in front and rear pairs, which are separated at a suitable distance for the reception of the top and bottom members 5 and 6 of the bodybolster, said members being let in flush with the top and bottom, respectively, of the draft-' timbers and have their opposite edges in en; gagement with the respective inner vertical edges of the keys Itrwill here be noted that the upper member of the bodybolster is straight, so asto fit the bottom of a car, while the lower member of the bolster has its opposite ends inclined upwardly and connected to the outer ends of the upper member by being folded over upon the latter, as at 7, and secured thereto by means of suitable fastenings 8, whereby the inclined end portions of the lower member form braces for the end portions of the upper member. By this arrangement the members of the body-bolster embrace the draft-rigging at an intermediate point,so as to materi ll stiffen and strengthen the latter. In addition to the keys there is provided a plurality of transverse bolts 9, which pierce the draft-timbers, the spacing- Too ' front of the bolster, as heretofore.

through the respective draft-timbers and also through the top and bottom members of the body-bolster. A vertical cylindrical opening 12 is formed through the center of the bodybolster and the filling-block and is designed for the pivotal reception of the ordinary king-bolt A, commonly employed to connect the car-truck with the frame of the car, a

portion of the truck being illustrated at B, which is the center beam of the truck,'as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. Ordinarily the rear ends of the draft-timbers merely abut against the forward side of the body-bolster and are connected solely to the bottom of the frame of the car, whereby the draft is placed directly upon the car. In the present invention the draft-timbers are extended to a suitabledistance in rear of the body-bolster, and the latter is constructed so as to snugly embrace the draft-timbers and is also connected thereto, and these combined parts are arranged to receive the king-bolt, so that the draft-rigging is mainly connected to the car-truck through the medium of the king-bolt and the body-bolster, whereby the draft is distributed between the car-frame and the truck and applied directly to the latter in rear of the body-bolster instead of in The forward ends of the draft-timbers are connected to the adjacent end sill 13 of the car-frame as, for instance, by means of the fastenings 14-so as to hold the front end of the rigging in place and to prevent the same from sagging downwardly from the car-frame. Should these latter fastenings break or become detached in any manner, the draft-rigging would still be prevented from falling upon the track and also would be maintained in its proper position by reason of its connection with the car-truck through the medium of the body-bolster and the king-bolt.

Any ordinary car-coupling, as illustrated at 15, may be employed in connection with the present type of draft-rigging, the drawbar 16 of the coupling being received between the forward ends of the draft-timbers and terminated short of the forward end of the filling-block 2. Any ordinary stirrup-plate or bracket 17 is secured transversely across the lower edges of the forward ends of the draft-timbers, so as to connect the same and also to form a stop to prevent the draw-bar from dropping upon the track shouldits other connections become broken.

Between the rear end of the draw-bar and the forward end of the filling-block there is provided a helical draftspring 18, which bears in opposite directions against the drawbarand the filling-block, the ends of these parts being protected by the respective metallic plates 19 and 20, which have the reend of the filling-block. The wear-plate 19 is in the nature of a follower and is mounted to slide between the top and bottom inwardlydirected flanges 23 and 24 of the respective metal plates 25, which are secured to the inne'r faces of the respective draft-timbers and form channels or ways for slidably receiving the opposite end edges of the follower-plate, whereby the draw-bar is mounted to yield in a rearward direction against the forward pres sure of the draft-sprin g 18. In order that the draw-head may yield in a forward direction, a similar draft-spring 26 is arranged between the rear ends of the draft-timbers and also in the rear of the fillingblock 2, there being a wear-plate 27 fitted against the rear end of the filling-block and having its opposite vertical edges received within the grooves or seats 28, formed in the inner faces of the draft-timbers, and also'having a central rearwardlydirected projection 29, received within the adjacent end of the helical spring 26. A follower plate 30 is slidably mounted between guide-plates 31, which are secured to the inner faces of the draft-timbers and are also duplicates of the plates 25, and bear.- ing against the outer face of the follower 30 there is provided a cross-head 32, which has its opposite ends projected through longitudinal horizontally-disposed slots 33, formed in the draft-timbers and of a length to permit edgewise-slidab'le movement of the crosshead in a direction longitudinally of the rigging. A similar cross-head 34 is passed through a slot 35,formed transversely through the rear end of the draw-bar, and has its opposite ends projected outwardly through slots 36, formed in the forward ends of the drafttimbers. The corresponding projected ends of the opposite cross-heads are connected by metal rods or bars 37 disposed externally and at opposite sides of the draft-timbers, the front and rear ends of the rods being provided with the respective links or eyes 38 and 39, which embrace the projected ends of the cross-heads and have their outer ends seated in notches 40, formed in the'forward edge of the front cross-head, and in the notches 41, formed in the rear edge of the rear crosshead. By this arrangement the draw-bar is connected to the rear end of the rear draft-- rigging and the car truck, whereby said springsare effectually separated, and'the forward draft is applied in rear of the bodybolster, and the rearward draft is applied in front of the body-bolster; also, instead of employing a single draft-spring at each side of the body-bolster a plurality of such springs may be employed should it be necessary or desirable.

l/Vhat I claim is- 1. In a draft-rigging, the combination with a body-bolster having upper and lower members, of draft-timbers connected to and embraced by the members of the body-bolster and also projected in front and rear thereof, and a filling-block located between the drafttimbers and embraced by the members of the body-bolster.

2. In a draft-rigging, the combination with draft-timbers, of a body-bolster comprising top and bottom members embracing the drafttimbers between the ends thereof, the opposite ends of the lower member being inclined upwardly and connected to the upper member, abutments located between the draft-timbers and in front and rear of the body-bolster, front and rear springs bearing against the respective abutments, a draft connection between the springs and extending between the upper and lower members of the bolster, and a draw-bar engaged with one of the springs.

3. In a draft-rigging, the combination of spaced draft-timbers, an intermediate spacing-block held between the timbers, and a body-bolster secured transversely across the draft-timbers and the spacing-block, whereby said timbers project in front and rear of the body-bolster, the latter and the spacing-block being provided with corresponding vertical openings for the reception of a king-bolt.

4. In a draft-rigging, the combination with spaced draft-timbers,of an intermediate spacing-block held therebetween, and a body-bolster comprising upper and lower members disposed transversely of the draft-timbers and embracing the same and the filling-block, the latter and the members of the body-bolster being provided with corresponding king-bolt openings.

5. In a draft-rigging, the combination of spaced draft-timbers having front and rear pairs of longitudinal slots, a filling-block held rigidly between the timbers and also located between the front and rear pairs of slots, front and rear cross-heads working in the front and rear slots and projected at opposite sides of the timbers, links connecting the corresponding ends of the opposite cross-heads and lying at the outer sides of the timbers, front and rear springs bearing in opposite directions against the respective ends of the filling-block and the adjacent cross-heads to force the latter outwardly in opposite directions, and a draw-bar connected to one of the cross-heads."

6. In a draft-rigging, the combination of spaced draft-timbers having front and rear pairs of longitudinal slots,a filling-block held rigidly between the timbers and also located between the front and rear pairs of slots, wearplates held rigidly against the respective front and rear ends of the filling-block, whereby the block forms rigid abutments for the wearplates, front and rear cross-heads Working in the front and rear slots and projected at opposite sides of the timbers, links connecting the corresponding ends of the opposite crossheads andlying'at the outer sides of the timbers, front and rear springs bearing in opposite directions against the respective wearplates and the adjacent cross-heads to force the latter outwardly in opposite directions, and a draw-bar connected to one of the crossheads.

7. In a draft-rigging, the combination with opposite draft-timbers, of a filling-block interposed between the timbers, the contiguous sides of the timbers and the spacing-block being provided with corresponding vertical notches, keys driven into the corresponding notches, transverse fastenings piercing the timbers, the keys and the filling-block, and a draft-spring bearing against one end of the filling-block.

8. In a draft-rigging, the combination with opposite draft-timbers, of a filling-block held' between the same and located intermediate of the ends thereof, the inner faces of the timbers being provided with corresponding vertical notches at the respective ends of the fillingblock, the Wear-plates held in the pairs of corresponding notches, helical springs located between the timbers and bearing against the respective wear-plates, channelirons secured to the inner faces of the timbers and overlapping the opposite sides of the respective springs, followers slidably mounted in the channel-irons and bearing against the outer ends of the springs, a coupler bearing against the front follower, a crosshead carried by the coupler and having its opposite ends projected through slots formed in the opposite draft-timbers, a cross-head bearing against the rear follower and having its opposite ends projected through slots formed in the draft-timbers, and opposite conn'ecting-rods having terminal links connected to the corresponding ends of the opposite cross-heads.

0. In adraft-rigging, the combination with opposite draft-timbers, of an intermediate filling-block, a body-bolster secured transversely across the draft-timbers and the filling-block, the latter and the body-bolster being provided with corresponding king-bolt openings, front and rear draft-springs located between the draft-timbers and bearingagainst the opposite ends of the filling-block, a coupler located between the forward ends of the draft-timbers and bearing against the front spring, front and rear cross-heads for the respective springs and having their endsslidably projected through longitudinal slots formed in the draft -timbers, and opposite &

connections between the corresponding ends of the cross-heads.

10. In a draft-rigging,the combination with opposite draft-timbers, of a stationary fillingblock held between the same, the inner face of the timbers being provided with open-ended vertical notches at one end of the fillingblock, a wear-plate held in the notches, a helical spring located between the timbers and bearing against the wear-plate, channelirons secured to the inner faces of the timbers and overlapping the opposite sides of the spring, the channelirons being separate from the wear-plate, a follower slidably mounted in the channel-irons and bearing against the outer end of the spring, a coupling bearing against the follower, and a crosshead carried by the coupling and having its opposite ends Working in openings formed in the draft-timbers.

11. In a draft rigging, the combination with opposite draft timbers, of a filling-block snugly fitted between the timbers, upper and lower bolster members embracing'the top and bottom of the draft-timbers and the fillingblock, the contiguous faces of the draft-timbers and the filling-block being provided with corresponding vertical notches, and keys -driven into the respective pairs of (zonesponding notches and lying against the opposite sides of the bolster members.

12. In a draft-rigging, the combination with opposite timbers, of a filling-block interposed between the timbers, top and bottom bolster members embracing the filling-block and the draft-timbers, fastenings piercing the bolster members and the respective draft timbers, the contiguous faces of the draft-timbers and the filling-block being provided with corresponding notches located at opposite sides of the bolster members, keys driven into the pairs of corresponding notches and lying against opposite sides of the bolster members, and fastenings piercing the draft-timbers, the filling-block and the respective keys at corresponding sides of the bolster members.

13. In a draft-rigging, the combination with opposite draft-timbers having their inner faces provided with corresponding vertical open-ended notches, a fixed wear-plate fitted in said notches, channel-irons secured to the inner faces of the draft-timbers and located in front of the wear-plate, the channel-irons being separate from the wear-plate, a spring supported by the channel-irons and bearing against the wear-plate, a follower working in the channel-irons and bearing against the spring, and a coupling connected to the follower.

14. In a draft-rigging, the combination of the filling-block and having their correspond- 6 5 ing ends mutually connected, the top and bottom bolster members and the filling-block being provided with vertically-alined kingbolt openings, a coupling located between the timbers and in front of the filling-block, a buffing-spring interposed between the coupling and the filling-block, a cross-head carried by the coupling and projected outwardly through longitudinal slots formed in the drafttimbers, a buffer-spring located between the draft-timbers and bearing against the rear end of the filling-block, a cross-head bearing against the rear end of the rear spring and having its opposite ends projected through longitudinal slots formed in the draft-timbers, and connections between the corresponding ends of the cross-heads, said connections lying upon the outer sides of the respective timbers and between the top and bottom members of the body-bolster.

In testimony thatI claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES E. GUINN.

Witnesses:

S. M. MEEKS, J. W. I-IAIsLETT. 

